Baby-chicken brooder



April 1929- H; D. LOCKWOOD 1,709,136

BABY CHI CKEN BROODER Filed July 30, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 I 35 7 l a Q 8 2 "mp" s7 75 m 5% EM J INVENTOR.

/ Harr IL Lnckwu nd A TTO Y.

April 16, 1929. 5, LO O 1,709,136

BABY CHICKEN BROODER Filed July 30, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

Harryll Lockwood Patented Apr. 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES PA ENT orrics.

naimar n. Locxwoonor mess our, KANSAS.-

BanY-cmcxnn 3300mm.

Application filed July 39,

keeping the chickens warm, well fed and.

clean.

Heretofore, it has been customary to move baby chickens from onebox to another when it was desired to change the litter. This invention contemplates the construction of a cabinet which is adapted to automatically I dump the dirty litter into a suitable container as clean, new litter is spread over the floor,

of the cabinet.

A further :object of the present invention is the provision of a housing for baby chickens which has a means for kee ing the chickens warm and changin the htter without the harmful practice 0% handlingthe chickens as high as three or four times a day.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a snnply constructed cabinet for carr ing out the above broader objects, as wel as to embody many minor objects and refinements of construction 1llu strleteld in the accompanying drawings m w 10 so Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chicken housing constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section of the chicken housing.

Fig. 3 is a vertical or ss section of the same taken oli line III of Fi 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectionof t e device taken on line IVIV of Fig. 3.

Fi 5 is a side elevation of the cabinet with the s est-metal housing removed and broken away to .show the heating means.

Fig. 6 is a cross section of the cabinet taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 2. Fi 7 is an enlarged, fragmentary, de-

taile sectional view ofithe means for engagiing and turningthe roller operating ro and,

Fi '8 is a wi diagram of the circuit used in the displ ii yhabinet.

Referring at this time to the drawings in detail, wherein similar reference characters refer to like 'parts throughout the several views, the numeral 9 designates the two ends of a cabinet having sides 10., This cabinet to bear the weight 0 the baby chickens.

two center rollers, a

1925. Serial No. 47,'058. I

should be covered with glass which may be in two sections 11, overlapped and adapted to slide in suitable grooves 12. The two ends of the cabinet are each provided with a clean litter magazine which is formed between ends 9 by partitions 13 which extend across the cabinet from one side 10 to the other, one of which may support an ordinary feed trough as shown in .Fi s. 2 and 3. A door 14 may be supplied if esired and an angled apron 15 set inside to kee the clean litter from falling down on eac end of'endless belts 16 which form the movable floor.

The floor is referably formed of two endless belts 16 w ich are set in tandem with a space between their adjoining -ends which are substantially at the vertical center of the cabinet. Transverse rollers 17 carry belts 16 and a solid sheet metal floor 18 may be used directly beneaththe 11 per portion of the belt To keep the birds from falling between the uard 19 is provided which may be raised w en the ,floor is moved to dum the dirty litter into a receptacle 20, remova ly positioned below endless belts 16 as shownin Figs. 2, 3 and 6. One method 'of raising and lowering this guard from the outsideof the cabinet is here shown to comprise a rod 21, extending along one side of the cabinet to a transverse shaft 22 to each end of which is fastened, by a crank arm 23, a connection 251 leading downwardly to uard 19. The handle 25 is used to push an pull rod 21 which acts to raise and lower the and 19. A pair of guide members 26 may provided at each end of guard 19 if desired.

Means to operate the endless belts and move the floor to dump dirty litter and spread clean litter thereover may consist of bevel gears 27 rigidly carried by one end of. center rollers 17. Gears 28 mesh with the drive gears 27 and are rotated by ashaft 29 lea'din to a point outside the cabinetlto be en aged by any key or crank 30 which is forme to turn the shaft in .one direction only. When it is desired to clean the cabinet without removing any of the baby chickens, rod. 21 is pulled to raise guard 19, rod 29 is rotated and dirty litter is carried to the center and dumped into drawer 20. As this is taking place, clean litter is being spread over the belts from the magazines located at each end of thepabinet.

The supply of clean litter is also adjusted by an opening between an apron '31 and belts 16. This apron 31isfastened to partition 13 by bolts or analogousmeans 32 which pass through slots 33: The opening between the 7 upper part of belt 16 and apron 31 may be into sheetmetal housings 35 which are carried :along each side of the cabinet to enclose the heating and temperature regulatingmeans.

One side of the cabinet 10 supports a heating means, which is preferably an electrical element 36 mounted on an asbestos or similar pad 37 and encased in a metal enclosure 38 which covers the opening in that particular side and allows air to ass therethrough and into the cabinet only a ter ithas entered a series of openings 39 and has beenheated by element 36. The air then passes across the cabinet and over the baby chickens to the opening in the other side 10 where it passes out into housing 35 and through the openings 40 formed in the top thereof.

To regulate the passage of air at a prede termined temperature, a thermostatically controlled shutter 41 may be used and slidably mounted close beneath openings 40 to open and close the same. For instance, when the temperature of the cabinet where the baby chickens are located reaches ninety degrees, the shutter 41, which is normally closed, begins to open through the energy exerted by any suitable thermostat 42 and the appropriate interconnecting leverage 43.- The connec-' tion to shutter 41 may be adjusted through the connection 44 if desired. When the temperature lowers, the thermostat 42 draws the shutter closed again. To further regulate the heat, an additional thermostat 45 may be'provided which operates an electric switch 46 through any suitable leverage 47 This thermostat is set to cperate or open the switch 46 when the temperature reac es ninety-five degrees; Any operative relation may be established between ;thermostat 42 and thermostat 45. When switch 46 is opened, the current from the source of supply 48 is cut ofi from the heater or resistance prising a cabinet, a movable floor within saidcabinet, means for moving said floor, means for recelvmg the duty litter dumped from said flooras the same is moved and means for spreading clean litter over said floor as it is being moved, said floor adapted to dump dirty litter at the center of said cabinet as it receives clean litter at each end thereof.

2. A device of the character described comprising a cabinet, a floor movably carried therein, means -for moving said floor, removable means for catching dirty litter dumped from said floor and means for spreading clean litter over aid floor at each end of the cabinet as said fl or is moved, said last'mentioned teriorally of said cabinet and means for spreading clean litter over said'bel ts at their remote ends as the same are caused to pass around said rollers and dump dirty litter therefrom. from the adjacent ends of each of saidbelts. v r J 4. A baby chicken display cabinet comprising a cabinet, a movable floor within said cabinet comprising a pair of endless belts disposed in tandem, means for moving said belts to dump dirty litter therefrom at their adjacent ends and meails for selectively opening and closing the space between the adjacent ends of said belts. In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature this 28th day of July, 1925.

HARRY D. LOGKWOOD. 

